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There's a little bit of everything in Northern Kentucky. Farmlands in the south give way to urban centers in the north along the Ohio River. More than 300,000 people live in the three counties and 35 cities. This is a space for some of the news and issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. If you have a news item you want included in this weekly column, contact me at swartman@enquirer.com, on Twitter at @ScottWartman or by phone 859-578-5572.

No chance for NKY to yell at Congress

Mitch McConnell(Photo: Provided)

Northern Kentuckians won't have a chance to yell at their members of Congress in town halls anytime soon. Angry citizens have filled town halls across the country to air grievances directly to their senators and representatives.

The raucous meetings have scared some congressmen, USA Today reports, with New Jersey Republican Tom MacArthur opting for a conference call with constituents.

No official town halls have been planned yet in Campbell, Kenton or Boone counties. But the region will get a visit from one of the most powerful Republicans in the land, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on Feb. 23. He will speak in Covington at a joint luncheon for the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky chambers of commerce at the Hotel Covington from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The luncheon will likely be a sympathetic business crowd for the senator. Outside, however, Democrats, union leaders and other groups have a protest planned. Called People Before Profits, the organizers want to send a message to McConnell.

"Since our Kentucky members of Congress have no town halls scheduled during the recess of that week, this will be an opportunity to express support for policies that create and save jobs, and that promote economic growth and prosperity," said Linda Nesbitt, a Democrat from Fort Thomas and one of the event's organizers.

Northern Kentucky's representative in the House, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Garrison, doesn't have any visits scheduled but plans to come to Northern Kentucky soon, said spokesman Lorenz Isidro. Last year, Massie held 20 public gatherings called "Coffee with your Congressman" across the 20 counties of Kentucky's Fourth Congressional District. Isidro said Massie has plans to continue that. Isidro urged people to follow the congressman on his Facebook page.

Thomas Massie(Photo: File photo)

Not much fraud on Covington's fraud hotline

Covington's employee fraud hotline hasn't caught much fraud, according to city leaders. There have been four calls in two years.

"I think it's a good thing we haven't had many phone calls," said City Commissioner Jordan Huizenga.

The city established the hotline for employees at the suggestion of the FBI in the wake of the 2013 Bob Due embezzlement scandal. Due is serving a 10-year prison sentence for stealing about $800,000 from the city over a 12-year period. In the wake of that scandal, the FBI suggested the city establish a hotline for employees to call to report any malfeasance.

The city commission on Tuesday will vote whether to vote on a new contract. The city pays $2,250 a year for NAVEX Global Inc. in Oregon to provide the phone number and staff to take the calls.

It's not available to the public, just the city's 100-plus employees.

The four calls to the hotline were nothing serious, City Solicitor Frank Warnock said. He said they were either easily resolved or didn't have enough information to investigate. In one call, an employee complained about others gambling in a March Madness basketball bracket office pool. The city told the employees to stop the pool, Warnock said. Another involved a complaint against a supervisor singling people out for reprisal. That involved some flippant remark made by the supervisor, Warnock said. City staff told the supervisor to watch his words. The other two involved an anonymous complaint about a city worker picking up tires for a shop owner. The call didn't provide enough information to figure out who was involved or what the infraction was, Warnock said.

New name, vision

The group has had many names. Forward Quest. Vision 2015. Skyward.

The group that some have credited with leading the redevelopment of Northern Kentucky's riverfront will now be known as The Alliance. Details of the reorganization remained vague. A statement by the organization described it as a way to "better align leaders and resources for optimal results."

Northern Kentucky's business leaders serve on The Alliance's board. Through its many guises, the group of business leaders have dreamed up big projects, some of which haven't come to fruition – a 1,200-foot-tall Freedom Tower, a high-speed monorail and a Tall Stacks floating museum.

But the convention center, Newport Aquarium, Newport on the Levee and other projects have. In 2015, the group, then known as Skyward, unveiled a plan for access to early childhood education programs, a way for communities to better track residents' health, improved bus service and the construction of parks. These projects will be passed on to other "community partners," according to The Alliance's statement.

"Skyward's original purpose to make Northern Kentucky thrive by connecting education, wellness, business and culture in innovation, inclusive and productive ways – is not changing," said Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and chairwoman of the Skyward board of directors. "What will change is the significance and scope of the initiatives we engage in, and the commitment of business leadership to make things happen."